A notable botanical event bloomed nearby today. A Corpse Flower, or more properly Titan Arum, Amorphophallus titanum, bloomed at a local conservatory. It is an arum, a family of plants that booms with a spathe and spadix configuration. Our local relative, the native Skunk Cabbage, is also known for its putrid odor. I caught a brief whiff […]
Bourbon sleeps in charred oak barrels at the John Burton distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. We had a fascinating, free tour of the facility. The distillery was on summer break so no brewing was active, but we saw all the equipment. Production was active in the warehouse, though, where the whisky was busy aging. It will […]
It’s nice to get away from home, to get a chance to capture something other than flowers and bugs. It’s even nicer to get away to a place that invigorates more than photography. We’re signing ‘Revive Us Again’ here. I don’t know if we mean it, because I’m not sure we have come to grips […]
This organ, taken from below, reminds me of the guns on a battleship. The organ is from St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland, Pittsburgh. It was taken with a Tokina 11-16mm wide angle.
Playing around with a long exposure night shot. There is a great deal of ambient light from my neighbors, so it looks like a daylight shot at first. But there are stars. The stars are more impressive at a larger image size. I took this right out front of my house, laying the camera on […]
I recently purchased a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX Digital Lens. I have been very impressed with the solid construction and excellent images. However, I have found one use for which it’s not going to work, infrared photography. Unfortunately, this lens shows a significant hot spot in the dead center of the image. The image […]
Wide angle fun today. I recently purchased a Tokina 11-16mm ultra wide angle lens. I have been looking for chances to try it out. The gray weather today is not good for color or landscapes, so I went looking for black and white architecture. This boat house tower has been a subject before for me […]
The evening sky showed a hint of clearing after a rainy day. Wispy sky tends to come in flat gray in camera. I boosted the colors to help it along. Taken with a Tokina 11-16mm. This sucker is wide, and takes a bit of work not to pick up trees or other obstructions on the […]
Ice crystals, some visible as cirrus clouds and others not dense enough to form clouds, catch the light from the sun to create a misty ring around the sun. I was experimenting with my newest lens, a Tokina 11-16mm ultra wide angle. It’s going to be a lot of fun! Related articles Backlight Wildflowers Good […]
I take this photograph every winter. Witch hazels are small trees that usually grow next to shady streams. They bloom at odd times. The Pennsylvania native species blooms into November. A southern species, the Ozark witch hazel, blooms in late winter. This particular tree is a hybrid of the two. It’s probably bred for hardiness, […]